Post 115 Talents make a country great
Many educational reports have singled out Finland and South Korea as exemplary countries which have invested with impact in education. The high quality manufactured products of mobile phones, cars and digital devices of these two nations reflect the high attainment levels of their education systems. Singapore as an island state has also produced top class universities, together with Hong Kong where top notch universities are also found.
Talents are what make a country great. It is therefore very unwise for any country to want to allow brain-drain to take place. In doing so, the development of the country will be hampered. Wealth can be distributed in any way, but not talents. Wealth can be passed on from one pocket to another, but not talents. Talents are nurtured through education, training and perseverance. It takes time and effort for talents to be fully developed and recognized.
A talented person is head-hunted for his ingenuity. He is thus offered high position, attractive remunerations, and a working environment that allows him to exploit his potentials. For a country to remain competitive, it needs talented people to create innovative plans to bring the country forward.
If we never have had, we never miss. Mediocrity never have had, it never misses the geniuses in a talented person. Hence, “Over and over again mediocrity is promoted because real worth isn't to be found.” (Kathleen Norris Quotes)
25 October 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Child beggars
Post 114 The vast divide between the rich and the poor
With the rising cost of living, many people are experiencing a lower quality of life. Their purchasing power goes down and there is no propensity for them to save at all. Many people suddenly find themselves out of work and live in poverty. Some will be so depressed that they turn to alcohol and are in a stupor all day without money, job or future. The trend now is for the less privileged to show their discontent towards the mega rich whose wealth is more than envy to them.
There have been reports in newspapers and TV programmes about child beggars who are out on the streets begging for long hours to help bring in extra cash for their families. Some are poverty driven and some are child beggars under the control of syndicates. These unfortunate people live in slums and scavenge for food in the dustbins. The rich who live in great affluence live in an island of their own. It is possible that one day shanty homes and street children may be too near their residences for comfort.
Child beggars are one of the by-products of the vast divide between the rich and the poor. They are also the victims of poor governance due to corruption. The world therefore needs to have a new order in economy and integrity in leadership.
18 October 2011
With the rising cost of living, many people are experiencing a lower quality of life. Their purchasing power goes down and there is no propensity for them to save at all. Many people suddenly find themselves out of work and live in poverty. Some will be so depressed that they turn to alcohol and are in a stupor all day without money, job or future. The trend now is for the less privileged to show their discontent towards the mega rich whose wealth is more than envy to them.
There have been reports in newspapers and TV programmes about child beggars who are out on the streets begging for long hours to help bring in extra cash for their families. Some are poverty driven and some are child beggars under the control of syndicates. These unfortunate people live in slums and scavenge for food in the dustbins. The rich who live in great affluence live in an island of their own. It is possible that one day shanty homes and street children may be too near their residences for comfort.
Child beggars are one of the by-products of the vast divide between the rich and the poor. They are also the victims of poor governance due to corruption. The world therefore needs to have a new order in economy and integrity in leadership.
18 October 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Dress appropriately
Post 113 Clothes make the man
Mark Twain, my favourite novelist and short story author, was a humourist. He said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Indeed how could they have gone out of their houses to influence the society without their clothes on? We can only find one in a short tale, The Emperor's New Clothes, written by Hans Christian Andersen, when a naïve child cried out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!"
Clothes make the man does not hold water for the corrupt. They may look well-dressed, professional and capable, yet are unfit for their positions. The clothes they put on cannot cover their shame of greed, hypocrisy, and incompetency.
Among the ancient Greeks, they believed that 'The garment makes the man' or that 'The apparel makes the man'. Though Greece is a relatively small country in Europe, it was an ancient civilization famous for its many eminent philosophers, culture and costume.
As appearance counts in business and social activities, one should be appropriately dressed. This is to respect oneself and others.
11 October 2011
Mark Twain, my favourite novelist and short story author, was a humourist. He said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Indeed how could they have gone out of their houses to influence the society without their clothes on? We can only find one in a short tale, The Emperor's New Clothes, written by Hans Christian Andersen, when a naïve child cried out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!"
Clothes make the man does not hold water for the corrupt. They may look well-dressed, professional and capable, yet are unfit for their positions. The clothes they put on cannot cover their shame of greed, hypocrisy, and incompetency.
Among the ancient Greeks, they believed that 'The garment makes the man' or that 'The apparel makes the man'. Though Greece is a relatively small country in Europe, it was an ancient civilization famous for its many eminent philosophers, culture and costume.
As appearance counts in business and social activities, one should be appropriately dressed. This is to respect oneself and others.
11 October 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Six types of friends
Post 112 Choose your friends wisely
Confucius said, “There are three types of good friends, and there are also three types of harmful friends. To make friends with honest people, to make friends with trustworthy people, and to make friends with widely read and experienced people, is beneficial. To make friends with flatterers, to make friends with duplicitous people, and to make friends with rhetoric people, is harmful.”
As birds of the same feather flock together, you are judged by the friends around you. When you have good friends who have virtues, you learn to have good characters from them. Keep these friends. Similarly, when you have harmful friends who are unscrupulous, your character is in danger of being tainted. Shun them.
“A friend in need is a friend indeed” is an old popular proverb. It means a friend who comes to our help is a true friend, unlike others who disappear when their help is needed. This proverb is sometimes interpreted as “a needy person becomes a friend to get assistance from others”. It is in times of trouble that one’s true feelings are revealed. Nevertheless, it is a fact that true friends are hard to come by. They are far and few in between. Treasure them if you are blessed with some.
You may want to ponder over this quotation: There are three faithful friends - an old wife, an old dog and ready money. – (Benjamin Franklin)
4 October 2011
Confucius said, “There are three types of good friends, and there are also three types of harmful friends. To make friends with honest people, to make friends with trustworthy people, and to make friends with widely read and experienced people, is beneficial. To make friends with flatterers, to make friends with duplicitous people, and to make friends with rhetoric people, is harmful.”
As birds of the same feather flock together, you are judged by the friends around you. When you have good friends who have virtues, you learn to have good characters from them. Keep these friends. Similarly, when you have harmful friends who are unscrupulous, your character is in danger of being tainted. Shun them.
“A friend in need is a friend indeed” is an old popular proverb. It means a friend who comes to our help is a true friend, unlike others who disappear when their help is needed. This proverb is sometimes interpreted as “a needy person becomes a friend to get assistance from others”. It is in times of trouble that one’s true feelings are revealed. Nevertheless, it is a fact that true friends are hard to come by. They are far and few in between. Treasure them if you are blessed with some.
You may want to ponder over this quotation: There are three faithful friends - an old wife, an old dog and ready money. – (Benjamin Franklin)
4 October 2011
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